I am sorry to hear about Sparky, and I do think that even the RB being a more complicated machine then most of us want to accept, they will "wear out and break down" just as computers, t.v.s and most other electrical devices, except it may be sooner than many other devices, simply because there are so many moving parts in a small tight spot, more so than the average computer. Part of the trade for having such a "realistic" companion is what we are faced with. Aside from the bad luck possibility, I do think we are going to see more and more RB problems and just as there are many RB with no problems and we do see "more " problems on here simpley because this is a great space to come and get advice when your Pleo is having problems, there are probably just as many people worldwide who know virtually nothing about Pleos other than what is written in the manual and they may not even have access to a computer and some may not even register their Pleos or do not know about Pleoworld, either getting Pleo RB as a gift, or buying it on another site.
I have had my Baby Ruth for less than a year now and have used her a lot lot less than the average Pleo Rb on "this site", sometimes going days without interaction,
( though I have learned to keep her feed constant at a good health level, ) and even if I have very little time as I would like, I will sometimes only have her on for 20-30 minutes before her bedtime, so she can at least eat and get some love. ( The days I do have the time I would like, I will take her out with me in publilc and she will go through a battery cycle.
) The point I am trying to lead up to is that even though Sparky was on constantly and may have "worn out" one of her upper neck cables , I have had Baby Ruth on a lot less than those that are not on "constantly", and when she was about 7 months old,( by ownership months, how long I have had her) she developed leg problems, I have had videos of her leg problem here on the site, and IMR, Kat and Crewella all agreed that it looked like a problem that could not be fixed by the typical manipulation, ( her rear left leg will not bend at the knee joint, and she looks like she has a Pirates's Peg leg.
..not only does the leg not function properly, but the leg and rear hip area get hot and after up to about 30 minutes, quicker if wearing clothes in the leg rear area, I have to shut her off. ) Because she is past the 90 day warranty, I would have to either live with a Pleo That has a bum leg or try to fix it myself, I do think I will have to take the plunge and open her leg area up to see if there is a cable I can get help with, I am not anxious to do this, but I fear at some point she will not be able to use the leg at all.
I have often thought if I had used her more like many people here, then perhaps this leg problem would have shown itself duing that 90 day period and she would be able to get fixed, but then I would not want to exchange her either and that may have been a possibility. I do think also letting Sparky just wander could have cuased problems you do not know about such as bumping her neck and unless you see everything your Pleo gets into when you are not watching her, you just do not know what could have happened. I do think the fact you ran her almost continuously shows not only how much you adore her, but also gives us other Pleo RB owners, a idea of how much "run time" a Pleo Rb can take over a short period of time, I do think that with the exception of the neck, the Ugobe and Innvo Pleos are hardier and have a lot less problems but they do not have the same capabilites as the RB. You did mention that Sparky is High Physical and walked a lot, that of course could add to the situation, that was good observation on your part and important. Thank you for sharing Sparky's story. I for one appreciate it.
RWM and her Pleo Clan of the Redwoods
